Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are likely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines. Shrewd operators consequently strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines, features, and enhancements available because such machines attract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player.
One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance the entertainment value of a game is the concept of a “secondary” or “bonus” game that may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game may comprise any type of game, either similar to or completely different from the basic game, which is entered upon the occurrence of a selected event or outcome in the basic game. Generally, bonus games provide a greater expectation of winning than the basic game and may also be accompanied with more attractive or unusual video displays and/or audio. Bonus games may additionally award players with “progressive jackpot” awards that are funded, at least in part, by a percentage of coin-in from the gaming machine or a plurality of participating gaming machines. Because the bonus game concept offers tremendous advantages in player appeal and excitement relative to other known games, and because such games are attractive to both players and operators, there is a continuing need to develop gaming machines with new types of bonus games to satisfy the demands of players and operators.
Gaming machines have utilized a variety of mechanisms to present various combinations of symbols, and to award prizes, money, or other awards associated with certain predefined winning combinations. Traditional slot machines, for example, utilize a plurality of reels (either mechanical, or simulated on a video display) and at least one payline, with certain combination of symbols landing on the payline constituting winning combinations for which awards are given to the player in accordance with a pay table.
Some existing slot machines with mechanical reels have removable reel strips to allow operators to replace worn strips or install new strips with different artwork. One replacement approach involves use of an adhesive tape to secure one end of the strip to the cage of a reel mechanism and another end of the strip to itself. This approach suffers from numerous disadvantages. Strip removal can be destructive or damaging to the strip because the adhesive, especially over time, forms a very tight bond. As a result, strip removal usually causes tears or kinks in the strip as the stubborn adhesive reluctantly yields to the exerting force by the operator. The reel strip must then be discarded and cannot be reused. Snap rivets with caps are also utilized, leaving visually unappealing caps visible to the player. For example, if the reel stops at a symbol near the connection point of the two ends of the reel strip, the rivet caps are visible to the player, destroying the perception of a seamless reel.
Another disadvantage is that when installing a new reel strip the operator must align the bottom of the new reel strip with a specific location on the reel cage by “eyeballing” the precise alignment position. This subjective alignment technique is fraught with human error, and can result in a misalignment of the reel strip relative to the cage, causing player confusion about whether a symbol is on a payline or not. This technique can also be somewhat time consuming depending upon the number of reels that need to be serviced.
Thus, a need exists for an improved apparatus and method. The present invention is directed to satisfying one or more of these needs and solving other problems.